Biab Ag Setup Advice - 36l Ss Brewpot From Beerbelly?

[atkinsonr]

Hello all.
Have been brewing partials for about 6 months on the stove top, and I've done 1 AG with some success using a 25L Esky and 2x kitchen pots (20L + 10L) .

Main problem was equipment. The Esky leeched heat through the lid badly (Coleman brand), it was too small for AG, and I didn't have a falsie to help with sparging - basically my mash efficiency could have been a lot better and after a 90 minute boil I only ended up with 12L of wort. Then I probably over topped up with water (to 19L) and ended up with an OG of 1035 instead of 1050.

I'm thinking of getting a 36L SS Brewpot from Beerbelly with a thermometer socket welded in (assuming the price doesn't go through the roof due to the bombing aussie peso!)

At this link: http://www.beerbelly.com.au/brewvessels.html It's the 36L one on the left, but with the optional thermometer socket.

Is this going to be big enough for doing single 19L BIAB brews on my stove top?

thanks all for reading.
Rich

 

[buttersd70]

Richy, I'm no biab expert (I mash the 'traditional' way) but I would have thought that 36L should be fine...the main issue as I see it is whether your stovetop would have enough grunt to bring the resulting 24ish L of wort to the boil in a reasonable time....but there are always ways and means. No doubt one of the biab gurus will give you a more definitive answer; failing that, email or pm wayne (beerbelly, aka domonsura), he'll certainly know.

 

[eric8]

Richy,
Buy a bigger pot, you will regret it later if you don't. You don't need a SS pot, just buy an ally pot, that way you can get a bigger one. If you only want to do single batches then get a 40-50 litre pot, but if you think you might do double batches later then get an 80litre pot. check out allquip, they sell fairly reasonably priced pots.

I am crap at links, so I am sure someone will be able to put one up.

 

[br33zy]

Richy,
Buy a bigger pot, you will regret it later if you don't. You don't need a SS pot, just buy an ally pot, that way you can get a bigger one. If you only want to do single batches then get a 40-50 litre pot, but if you think you might do double batches later then get an 80litre pot. check out allquip, they sell fairly reasonably priced pots.

I am crap at links, so I am sure someone will be able to put one up.

Hi All,

I think 36L might be a bit too small too.

I've been trawling the web for the past few days looking for SS Pots myself. Beerbelly's (unmodified) 70L SS pot is the same price as allquip (allquip's cover price doesn't include tax). The 98L SS is $10 less at allquip. Not sure on the aluminium pots though.

A question - can I safely squeeze a double BIAB batch out of a 70L pot?

Cheers

Breezy

 

[Bribie G]

I've been doing partials as well. My stove's main element is probably the most fierce you can get, would singe the hair off a cat at two metres but it still takes 20 minutes to get a 10L pot up to a boil then keeps the rolling boil for an hour. Would probably handle 15L but above that... <_< <_<



Unless your stove is thermonuclear you look like needing a gas burner.

Personally I'm getting into a 40L SS electric 2400w urn but it's going to be a tad over $250 - balance that against the cost of a pot, a NASA type burner, bottle, regulator, connections............

Having been there I doubt if the stove is going to cut it.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Get a bigger pot and be happy later on.Beerbelly.com will see you right Im sure.
GB

 

[Thirsty Boy]

36L is the smallest pot I would even think about suggesting for BiaB - it really is right on the inside limit if you want to brew "normal" sized batches and not have to worry about limiting the beers you can make in it.

Depends on what batch size you are looking for - if you want 23L into your fermentor, you could perhaps brew a 1.050 beer in a 36L pot, but not a lot stronger. If your idea of a single batch is filling a 19L corny keg, then you have a little more room to play and you will get away with the 36L for most beers.

I'd go with at least a 40L pot for "single" batches, 75-80L will see you right for double batches.

 

[atkinsonr]

Thanks all for the tips so far. The message I'm getting is I could get away with a 36L pot but I'm much better off going bigger.

I understand what you're all saying about heat from the stovetop. If I'm honest I don't think it would boil much more than 20-25L, so I'll probably need to get a burner and reg too.

The big lesson I learned from doing the first AG was that size does matter!

So 40L is good?

 

[atkinsonr]

PS: Thanks for the tip about allquip.

I see they have Robinox 40L and 50L aluminum stockpots for under $100. I couldn't find anything with holes or fittings.

Am feeling a bit ignorant by asking this question but here goes...
If I wanted to get one of these fitted with a ball valve and a thermometer, can just take all the bits to a metalworker?

Thanks very much!

 

[reg]

Richy,

First of all fill your location in so we know where you are from.
And with drilling holes in pots and stuff it is quite simple if you have a drill, just need a hole saw as well.

I am sure that if you get a large pot and put a call out to fellow brewers in your area for a little help to drill holes and mount your fittings then the help will come flooding your way.
For a few bottles of your finest of course....

If you are located to the west of Melbourne I may be able to help.

Cheers
Reg

 

[Murcluf]

I suppose it is all relivent to what size batch you want to brew and how much you want to spend. Personally I brew batches around the 23lt mark always have and most likely always will, my setup consists a 38lt Round Cooler Mash tun from Rays Outdoors $50, 36lt SS pot from Grays online for $90 and I got a turkey burner from the Asian cheap shop for $35 and when the gas bottle is empty I chuck it on the stove with two burners on, laughing. Does 5 & 6kg grain bills without skipping a beat 7kg in the tun pushing it for space to put the lid on at mash out.

 

[atkinsonr]

I suppose it is all relivent to what size batch you want to brew and how much you want to spend. Personally I brew batches around the 23lt mark always have and most likely always will, my setup consists a 38lt Round Cooler Mash tun from Rays Outdoors $50, 36lt SS pot from Grays online for $90 and I got a turkey burner from the Asian cheap shop for $35 and when the gas bottle is empty I chuck it on the stove with two burners on, laughing. Does 5 & 6kg grain bills without skipping a beat 7kg in the tun pushing it for space to put the lid on at mash out.

You're talking my language Murcluf!

23L sounds about right to me. I just want a simple setup that'll let me brew AG without too much fuss, and without spending more than a few hundred dollars.

Cheers

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Thanks all for the tips so far. The message I'm getting is I could get away with a 36L pot but I'm much better off going bigger.

I understand what you're all saying about heat from the stovetop. If I'm honest I don't think it would boil much more than 20-25L, so I'll probably need to get a burner and reg too.

The big lesson I learned from doing the first AG was that size does matter!

So 40L is good?

Now, I'm assuming that seeing as you started talking BIAB - thats what we are still talking. Yes?? because it makes a difference, BIAB needs a bigger pot for a given batch size.

40L will be "enough" - it will give you 23L batches for most normal to moderately strong beers and it will give you up to anything up to a Barleywine/IIPA/RIS if you are willing to settle for 19-20L. I just poked the numbers into pro-mash and you could fairly realistically put 19-20L of 1.10 wort into a fermentor from your 40L pot - but thats pushing it to its outer limits.

If you were to go with a 50L pot... then you are basically unlimited as to the beers of which you can make a full single batch.

There are tricks and workarounds to get more volume/strength out of a given pot size... but realistically its going to be a hell of a lot simpler and probably not a lot more expensive to simply go with a 50 rather than a 40L pot.

50L pots can also be constructed out of (legally obtained of course) beer kegs; and that might well be the cheapest way to go if you want stainless rather than aluminium. If you are converting a keg for BIAB, I suggest you cut the top completely off rather than cutting a hole in it as is kind of standard for a converted keg. Your bag will be a lot easier to get out. Just be neat about it so you can still use the cut off top as a lid.

Burner - I know that some people get away with putting a larger pot across two burners on their stove. But if you are going to try it, I reckon be prepared for it to not work so well. If it does, great - but have in the back of your mind that a nice new burner will most likely get the job done quicker and easier. A fairly inexpensive low pressure three ring burner is all you need. Its what I have been using for the last several years anyway - $45 from an Asian cookware shop, uses my BBQ bottle and reg. The bigger more powerful burners achieve nothing that cant be done with a low pressure three ring... they just do it faster.

If you want to play with double batches.. then you need to go bigger on all fronts.

Hope this helps to get you a bit further on the way

Thirsty

 

[Damian44]

The last time i was talking too All Equip he only had 60l stockpot. I got mine from http://www.foodutensils.com.au/stockpot-ch...5cbc4e476808a1c

 

[atkinsonr]

Hope this helps to get you a bit further on the way

Thirsty

Thanks Thirsty it does indeed. 50L sounds like the go.

Also, I've just figured out what you're all on about with 3 ring burners from Asian shops too. Wok burners! Excellent - I'll look out for one that I can use with the BBQ regulator.

And Reg, thanks for the kind offer. I'm in Freshwater NSW have filled in the profile.

Cheers
Rich

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Thanks Thirsty it does indeed. 50L sounds like the go.

Also, I've just figured out what you're all on about with 3 ring burners from Asian shops too. Wok burners! Excellent - I'll look out for one that I can use with the BBQ regulator.

And Reg, thanks for the kind offer. I'm in Freshwater NSW have filled in the profile.

Cheers
Rich

my pleasure

I'm not sure that I do mean a wok burner ... they tend to be high pressure rigs with really high output. Like the Nasa etc that people talk about.

Just to avoid confusion, I mean one of these

It just screwed directly from my BBQ reg IIRC - although Domonsura (Beerbelly) posted a thread a while ago and his trials seemed to suggest that you could get a hell of a lot more grunt out of one of these things with a medium pressure adjustable reg. The BBQ one will certainly do the job, but the medium one might give you a bit more speed. Up to you.

TB

 

[matho]

richy,
i picked up a 64l ss pot from a little supermarket in sydney's chinatown for $68 so look around
also you can pick up a 3 ring burner from barbque's galour for $40 and a 4 ring for a little more.
i have a 3 ring burner and i ended up getting an ajustable med presure reg from grain and grape

cheer's
matho

 

[atkinsonr]

richy,
i picked up a 64l ss pot from a little supermarket in sydney's chinatown for $68 so look around
also you can pick up a 3 ring burner from barbque's galour for $40 and a 4 ring for a little more.
i have a 3 ring burner and i ended up getting an ajustable med presure reg from grain and grape

cheer's
matho

Matho,
That's great advice, I'll be heading down to Chinatown on on Monday. You don't remember the exact store do you?
Cheers

 

[matho]

on the corner of ultimo rd and thomas st.
the pots were on top of some fridges so keep a eye out and they don't speak english to well.

cheers
matho

 

[matho]

by the way the pots are not the best quality but they are big
if you can afford the one's from beerbelly then get it because they are good quality and have all the fittings
and they will last you a lifetime. I wish i could afford one but i can't.

cheer's matho